"Remember to write from your heart" - Lollette-Oliva Alipe

As part of our Buwan Ng Mga Akdang Pinoy celebration, we asked Lollette Oliva Alipe, author of Play Nice and Fight Fair and The Steadfast Snail about some words of wisdom she can impart to readers and writers.

What are some of the best things about being an author?

1.    You get the thrill of your life seeing your words in print.

2.    You get to express the thoughts and feelings close to your heart, but have a farther reach.

3.    You get to share lessons to a wider range of ages. In my case, I have a book for couples, and another for children.

4.    You get to experience the joy of having people actually tell you that your words had encouraged or inspired them.

5.    You get to be a part of a community of creatives.

5 Do’s for aspiring authors

1.    Do keep on writing even when you don’t “feel inspired” or are not “in the mood”. Like any endeavor, to be a writer needs both discipline and routine.

2.    Do be ready to accept when your manuscript is not accepted. There are many reasons a publisher may not approve your “obra maestra”. 

3.    Do make a list of possible topics you can or want to write about. Small ideas can grow into full blown subjects. Mine started with a list.

4.    Do remember to write from your heart. There may be many books on the same subject but yours must be authentic to who you are.

5.    Do pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you as you write. ‘Nuff said.

5-point wishlist for Filipino readers

1.    That children will be encouraged to read actual ink and paper books instead of books on their devices.

2.    That more Filipinos will buy printed books and support local writers.

3.    That local publications will have more prominent better displays in bookstores.

4.    That more groups will organize Book Clubs specifically for local publications.

5.    That writers will persevere in writing books in Pilipino and other dialects.

Lollétte Oliva-Alipe is a professional trainer specializing in effective communication, and personality and career development. She is a broadcast communications graduate from the University of the Philippines and a Triple A Awardee of her alma mater, Maryknoll College. It was in her elementary years at Maryknoll College when she developed her love for reading, spending countless hours reading story books borrowed from the school library.

She is mom to four biological children, four foster children and one adopted daughter, and Mamita to four—and soon to be five—grandkids. She has also written a book for couples, Play Nice and Fight Fair, and other Practical Lessons from 35 Years of Marriage, published by OMF Literature. She and Em, her husband of more than 40 years, live in Cebu City with Maki, their youngest daughter.